Rhythm and Music Support Program
Specialist Özlem Vural
Rhythm and Music events carried out with Individuals with Special Needs in the framework of Online Support Services for Individuals with Special Needs and their Mothers Project, were planned based on the basic principles of Orff Schulwerk approach and this learning process was supported with Creative Drama Techniques.
What is Orff-Schulwerk?
Music, speech and dance are means of self-expression of humans. Every person; child, young, old, or with special needs, has the ability to express themself artistically. Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman developed the “Orff Schulwerk” education system based on this principle. This approach, the foundations of which began to be laid in Munich in the 1930s, has become one of the rising music pedagogy systems of the 20th century. Orff approach is suitable for people of all ages. There are many examples of studies with different age groups in the world, from the studies with 18-month-old babies to older people in nursing homes. In the content of Orff’s work, the most important thing that is indispensable at every stage of development, from preparing the body with movements to using conversations, from rhythming conversations to turning these rhythms into music and the presentation (sharing) of all these phases formed as a result of a series of creative processes, is “play”. There are countless music and movement games that can be used in the exercises, and when and how to use these games during the class is determined by the Orff Instructor according to the goals of the lesson on that day. In all these course processes, the learning process is also faster because the right part of the brain, which is emotional, and the left side, which is cognitive, are used together (http://orffmerkezi.org).
What is Creative Drama?
Creative drama in education; improvisation, role-playing, etc. is the meaning attribution and reenactment of individuals in a group work by using theater or drama techniques in “playful” processes in which their old cognitive patterns are reconsidered (San, 2002). These reenactment processes are based on spontaneity, the principle of now and here and pretending. Creative drama directly benefits from the general characteristics of the game. Creative Drama can be used as a method and/or tool in all areas where people interact, starting from preschool age (http://istanbuldrama.org).
Program Content
In preparing the content of this program, which was created with the playful processes of Orff Schulwerk and creative drama, attention was paid to the themes that can catch young people’s attention, basing it on their daily lives, as well as to the specific days and weeks during the program. In this context, the program was prepared based on topics such as the Republic Day, Halloween, cats and puppets. During the program, videos and songs related to weekly themes were shared with young participants to make them feel the continuity of the program outside of class hours, and to support their musical development; it was ensured they made rhythm instruments using residual materials found in their homes, and these instruments were used in classes.
Experiences
I have participated in many national and international seminars on Orff Schulwerk for about 15 years. This process was first my self-discovery journey… I had the opportunity to experience working firstly with preschool children and put into practice what I learned in my journey of self-discovery, and then after completing courses conducted by the Orff Center Turkey, I worked with adults at various universities, congresses, and the university where I worked. But I have never had a chance to work with individuals with special needs until I took part in this project as an assistant staff member. Although I had concerns about how I could make a didactic reduction in the educational process at the beginning of the project, the young people I met erased these concerns from the first lesson. In this process, when we learned from each other and withdrew ourselves into our bubbles because of the pandemic, we shared 12 weeks of joy, enjoying a little time ‘together’, albeit on a computer screen.
References:
San, I. (2002). Eğitimde Yaratıcı Drama, Yaratıcı Drama, 1985–1995, Yazılar, (1. cilt). Ankara: Naturel Yayıncılık.